A son, Siler Gregory Russ, was born on March 4, 2013, to Mary and Greg Russ of Royalton.

A son, Isidor Asher Lewins-Pazdan, was born on March 12, 2013, to Grace Pazdan and Scott Lewins of Montpelier.

A son, Zephyr Gosta, was born on March 4, 2013, to Keya Olson and Uriah McDermott of Randolph.

Local students have recently had the opportunity to study at Champlain College’s abroad campuses of Montreal, Canada and Ireland. At both of the satellite campuses students have the chance to receive international perspective and prepare to be global professionals. Local Champlain faculty and staff at each campus provide guided immersion tours, as well as encourage students to make their own travel opportunities. While abroad, students are also able to create strong friendships, share experiences and support each other in their explorations of place.

Lydia Hill, a junior communications major from Groton is currently studying at the Dublin, Ireland campus.

Nathan Smith, a junior accounting major from Montpelier is currently studying at the Dublin, Ireland campus.

John Donovan, a senior electronic game programming major from Montpelier is currently studying at the Montreal campus.

Maria W. Hoyt, of Montpelier, has been inducted into St. Lawrence University’s chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honorary society. Hoyt is a member of the class of 2013, and graduated from U-32 Jr-Sr High School.

MCPHS University is announced that the following local students have been named to the dean’s list for the Fall 2012 semester:

Olivia Badeau is a native of Barre and is pursuing a bachelor of science in dental hygiene. Olivia will graduate in 2013 from the Boston campus.

Kelsey Frost is a native of East Montpelier and is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy. Kelsey will graduate in 2015 from the Worcester campus.

Katrina Loignon is a native of Plainfield and is pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing. Katrina will graduate in 2013 from the Manchester, N.H., campus.

Samantha Sandretto is a native of Waterbury and is pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing. Samantha will graduate in 2013 from the Manchester, N.H., campus.

Sarah Fitzhugh, of Peacham, is a member of the class of 2014 and is majoring in fashion design.

Top spellers

MONTPELIER — Ronan Howlett bested 42 other students from across Vermont to win the Vermont State Individual Spelling Bee on Wednesday, March 13.

Howlett, an eighth-grader from Middlebury Union Middle School, and last year’s winner, will now compete against top spellers from every other state in the nation in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., in June.

The winning word was “desultory,” an adjective which means “marked by absence of a plan; disconnected; jumping from one thing to another; digressing from the main subject; random.”

Emily Ballou, of South Royalton School, came in second. Nicholas Knudsen, of Frederick H Tuttle Middle School came in third.

In addition to advancing to the national spelling bee, Ronan Howlett received a trophy, an iPad and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by FairPoint Communications, Vermont Lake Monsters, Burlington Free Press, Vermont Humanities Council, Vermont Principals Association and Vermont Agency of Education. For more information on the national bee, visit www.spellingbee.com.

Bob Johnson of the Vermont Principals’ Association introduced the event, which was held in the McCarthy Arts Center at Saint Michael’s College. Adam Silverman of the Burlington Free Press served as pronouncer for the event. Peter Gilbert, Executive Director, Vermont Humanities Council; Mike Smith, State President, FairPoint Communications; and John Fischer, Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Agency of Education served as judges this year. Linda Wrazen of the Vermont Humanities Council and Deputy Commissioner Fischer presented the awards.

BERLIN — The 26th Annual Vermont Scholastic Chess Championships will be held on Saturday, April 13, at Berlin Elementary School, located in central Vermont just off Interstate 89 exit 7.

All Vermont students from kindergarten through grade 12 are eligible to compete for state championships in each grade, kindergarten through grade 6, middle school and high school. All abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate.

The tournament will be US Chess Federation (USCF) rated and follow USCF rules. Registration is from 8:30 until 9:30 a.m. Games will start at 10 a.m. Complete rules and registration information can be found at http://vtchess.info or by contacting Mike Stridsberg, tournament director, at mike@vtchess.info or (802)-223-1948.

4-H winners

SPRINGFIELD — For 112 Vermont 4-H club members, March 9 was the State 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl in Springfield. At stake, for older teens, was the chance to continue on to national competition as a member of the state 4-H horse quiz bowl team. The event, hosted by University of Vermont Extension and Windsor County 4-H, took place at Springfield High School. It attracted kids from 10 counties, with 39 seniors, ages 14 and older, vying for a spot on the state team that will travel to Louisville, Ky., in November for the Eastern National 4-H Horse Round-up.

Teens named to the team for finishing at the top of their division are Jennifer Dickinson, Colchester; Emma Pearson, North Hero; Madison Wood, Concord and Kaelyn Jenny, Essex. They also will compete at the New England Regional 4-H Horse Contests in New Hampshire in October along with the “B Team” comprised of David Gringeri, West Haven; Alexis Walker, Essex; Mariah Harding, Barre; and Ruth Snow, Burlington; who finished fifth through eighth, respectively.

Carrie Turner, Brandon, and Bethany Demuynck, Underhill, rounded out the top 10 finishers in the senior division, all of whom earned rosette ribbons.

In the other age groups ribbons were awarded to the following 4-H’ers, listed in order of placement:

Hallie Donegan, Shelburne, and Carlie Mashia, Hinesburg, placed first and second, respectively, in the novice senior division, open to teens 14 to 18 years old, who are either new to 4-H or first-time competitors in 4-H horse quiz bowl competition.

To learn more about the 4-H horse program and upcoming events, contact Wendy Sorrell, UVM Extension 4-H livestock educator, at (802)-656-5418 or (800) 571-0668, ext. 2, or by e-mail at wendy.sorrell@uvm.edu.

Dance studio turns 40

MONTPELIER — Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio’s Performance 2013 will mark the beginning of a year-long celebration of its 40th anniversary, culminating in a gala at its fortieth annual performance in May 2014.

At Performance 2013, on May 17-19 at The Barre Opera House, there will be an information table about projects and events for the coming year. An alumni bank is now being developed and archival photographs are being gathered. Volunteers are needed. Call the studio for more information or if you’d like to be involved: (802)-229-4676.

The 40th Anniversary Year of Celebration will honor Lorraine Neal and the contribution her work has made — and continues to make — to so many lives in central Vermont and beyond. She established a culture of professionalism and created a supportive community, valuing every individual who walks through the studio’s door — from 4-year-olds to 70-year-olds, whether New York bound or dancing for fun.

Neal began the studio in 1973, holding classes in the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. Today the studio offers over 40 classes each week to hundreds of students in its two studios at 18 Langdon St. (above Onion River Sports), where it has been for over 35 years. In August 2010, Neal, who owns the studio, went on an extended sabbatical, and Allison Mann is the new director.

Photo ID’d

In response to last week’s photo: “This is North Main Street in Barre, looking towards Montpelier, with the C.W. Averill and Quarry Bank blocks in the foreground. It was taken sometime after 1934, but somebody with a better knowledge of automobile styles (not me) might be able to pinpoint it closer to the present. Just above the rear of the nearest auto can be seen the Keith Avenue traffic light. The large “QUARRY SAVINGS BANK” sign was installed in 1929, and the Averill storefront was “modernized” in the fall of 1930. Just below and to the right of the traffic light can be barely seen the Magnet theatre’s marquee, installed in 1934. I would not be able to tell you all of this if I had not written “From Trolley Tracks to Traffic Lights: A History of North Main Street, Barre, Vermont, 1915-1940,” available at Next Chapter Bookstore, the Aldrich Library, and the Vermont Historical Society.”

Russell Belding

Barre

CSAs in Vermont

MONTPELIER — Building on a successful pilot project launched in three Vermont counties, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross today announced the statewide expansion of the Workplace Community Supported Agriculture Program, which enables Vermont state employees to conveniently purchase locally grown food and produce at numerous sites around Vermont. More than 30 employees participated in the pilot project in 2012, nearly 75 percent of whom had never previously participated in a CSA. Of those, almost all plan to reenroll.

“Community Supported Agriculture programs are a way for Vermonters to support their local farmers, and eat healthier,” Gov. Shumlin said. He said other employers across the state are serving as CSA delivery sites for their employees — a win-win for their staff, their local farmers and the overall health of their workplace.

“Participating in the delivery program enabled our farm to easily expand our membership by 20 percent and offer our vegetables and pasture-raised meats to a new market,” said Laura Olsen of Green Mountain Girls Farm in Northfield. Her farm, now in its fourth season, participated in the state’s pilot CSA program, delivering produce to seven employees in Montpelier, Barre and Berlin last year.

Through a CSA, consumers can sign up for a seasonal share of a farm’s produce; terms vary among farms, but typically the consumer pays a set fee for regular deliveries of fresh produce. The CSA concept — which gives farmers budget predictability, while providing consumers with seasonally fresh food — is growing in popularity. Based on Census data, Vermont boasts the most farmers’ markets and CSAs per capita, earning this state the honor of being the most ‘localvore’ state in the nation.

Last year the state implemented the pilot project in four state office buildings in Washington, Windsor and Addison Counties, with four local CSA farms participating. Ross said 44 farmers are interested in participating in the expansion, at least one in nearly every county in Vermont. The number of state building delivery sites will depend on the level of state employee interest in those areas, Ross said. But based on the interest in the pilot counties, Ross said he is optimistic that the expanded program will be successful.

Schools honored

MONTPELIER — Rumney Memorial School, Tunbridge Central School, and Union Elementary School ranked at the top in the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District’s school sustainability report, at the top of a list of 24 elementary, middle and high schools. The ranking rates schools in their efforts toward sustainability, including reducing, recycling, composting, using reusable cafeteria items rather than disposables, purchasing in bulk, and much more.

CVSWMD school zero waste program staff developed the study to help schools improve their sustainability score, decrease their impact on the environment, and empower students to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

The ranking came out as follows:

1. Rumney Memorial School

2. Tunbridge Central School

3. Union Elementary School

4. East Montpelier Elementary School

5. Walden School

6. Woodbury Elementary School

7. Main Street Middle School

8. Spaulding High School

9. Bradford Elementary School

10. Montpelier High School

11. Hardwick Elementary School

12. Oxbow High School

13. Calais Elementary School

14. Barre City Elementary Middle School

15. Berlin Elementary School

16. Washington Village School

17. Orange Center School

18. Williamstown Elementary School

19. Barre Town Middle Elementary School

20. U-32 High School

21. Chelsea Public School

22. Williamstown Middle High School

23. Hazen Union School

24. Twinfield Union School

To find out how you can support efforts toward sustainability in your local school contact Gwen Lyons, school program manager, schoolmanager@cvswmd.org 802-229-9383, ext. 111 or Amanda Garland, School Zero Waste Coordinator, amandag@cvswmd.org, 802-229-9383 X103 with questions.

MONTPELIER — The Montpelier Senior Activities Center, in collaboration with the AmeriCorps Neighbor to Neighbor program, is offering a new and exciting MSAC Learning Program this Spring term through a curriculum of five modules on topics related to life changes for seniors. This program is designed to address the interests of the general public, as well as the 790 members of MSAC whose average age is only 54, and the fastest growing age cohort of 50 to 65 years of age. The public is invited to attend this series to be held 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Montpelier Senior Activities Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.

Free and open to the public, preregistration is not required. A reception to inaugurate the program will be held at 5:30 p.m. on April 2 prior to the first module of the series, Learning Through Aging. Panelists for this module include: Pam Chisolm, director of admissions at the Community College of Vermont; Carol Milowitz, head of adult learning and development at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library; and Cathi Cody-Hudson, assistant director of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Vermont.

For information, contact Lisbeth Dodd at 262-6288, or email ldodd@cvcoa.org.